Gordy Shields, a timeless cyclist has another record in sight

On Sunday, cyclist Gordy Shields will enter the California Masters 20K time trials -- and it is a good bet he'll set a record. He's in the 90-plus age group, which has never had an entry before in this competition. Shields, 93, already holds the national record for 90 year olds in the 20K class. He broke it in 2008.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T

On Sunday, cyclist Gordy Shields will enter the California Masters 20K time trials -- and it is a good bet he'll set a record. He's in the 90-plus age group, which has never had an entry before in this competition. Shields, 93, already holds the national record for 90 year olds in the 20K class. He broke it in 2008.
— Nelvin C. Cepeda / U-T

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On Sunday, when the air promises to be crisp and the breeze light, Gordy Shields will be the first cyclist off the Fiesta Island line, at 7 a.m. sharp, in the Super Masters State Championship Time Trials. And it is a pretty sure bet that after his three laps, Shields will be holding yet another record in the 20K category.

You see, there is no record in the California Masters competition for riders over the age of 90.

“This will be the first time anyone has attempted it,” said Shields on Friday.

Shields already holds the 20K national record for 90 year olds, having decimated that back in April 2008 by more than 12 minutes. He currently holds national records in the 80-plus and 85-plus age categories as well. But he’s pretty sure those are about to fall.

“There’s some pretty tough competition in the 80s and 85s these days,” he said. “I expect my records to be broken soon.”

The thing is, when he talks about his records falling, Shields lets out a warm laugh.

For the 93-year-old El Cajon resident, there are always more records to set. Even his bicycling club, the Cyclo-Vets, has adopted as a slogan this year “Keep Gordy alive til he’s 95.”

It is pretty safe to say that no cyclist has gone where Gordy Shields is headed.

And frankly, while he loves the slogan and very much expects to be establishing the record for riders in the 95-plus category in a couple of years he’s also looking a little further down the road. Legendary local bicycle frame maker Bill Holland has promised him a brand new bike when he turns 100.

“I tried to convince him to give me one at 95 but he won’t budge,” said Shields with a grin.

Shields is riding a bike that is built around a Bill Holland titanium frame. It weighs 22.5 pounds which Shields acknowledges is a bit heavy, but over the years it has been shaped, honed and calibrated to become an extension of his body and soul.

“If I were to replace it today? Everything as it is?” he says, “About $12,000.”

In a couple of weeks, in a rare concession to age and its disabilities, Holland will be reconfiguring Shields’ bike with electric gear shifts. “It’s the arthritis,” says Shields holding up hand that are permanently gnarled to the grip of his handlebars.

Age marks him in other ways. Shields walks with the forward bend of a longtime cyclist. He has a pacemaker that keeps his heart above 65 beats per minute but limits his rides to no more than 20 miles. His times are slower too. He expects to complete Sunday’s 20K in around 54 minutes, nearly 10 minutes more than his record.

His doctor gave up telling him to quit bicycling four years ago. During a checkup on Friday, which Shields passed with ease, his doctor wished him good luck on Sunday.

“I told him it isn’t about luck,” said Shields.

Indeed, it is something more, including a regimen that would leave a man half his age gasping.

The 140-pound Shields rides every day, including a 20K around Fiesta Island on Tuesdays, a weekly coastal ride in North County and a Saturday ride on the San Diego River bike path. He also lifts weights and takes a daily walk.

Sometimes he’ll ride over the Sweetwater River bridge on the 24-mile Bayshore Bikeway. The bridge is named in his honor, for his dedicated work in getting the trail built.

Shields came to bicycling after bursitis shortened his love affair with tennis. He was 50 years old.

He picked up his son’s 10-speed, started pedaling and never quit.

“You have to make it a discipline,” he said. “It’s like eating, sleeping and sex. Bicycling is one of the four things you can’t do without.”

Later, he adds a fifth one: “Never lose your sense of humor.”

Indeed. Whatever the outcome on Sunday, you can bet Gordy Shields will be laughing for joy, all the way to the finish line.